atrocious nature. I fhall only add, that this monarch, whofe fuperiority of understanding, and quickness of penetration, were no less confpicuous than his total want of virtue and of principle, might, with more propriety than almost any man, as the whole tenor of his conduct demonftrates, adopt the declaration of the unhappy MEDEA: "Video meliora proboq. deteriora fequor.” Having already fomewhat exceeded our limits from the variety of matter with which these effays abound, we must content ourselves with offering little more than a catalogue of the remainder, affuring our readers we have read them all with fatisfaction and profit. 17th. Remarks on St. Evremond. 18th. Strictures on Walpole's characters: 19th. On Materialism, which our author concludes with fome new and ingenious theories. As, however, the fubject is only interefting to a small class of our readers, we fhall refer fuch to the work itself. 20th. On Genius. 21ft, Remarks on Mr. Pope's Effay on Man, in which that unfortunate poet is again accused of being the dupe of Lord Bolingbroke, an impreffion the world have much to lament he [Mr. Pope] ever was fenfible of himself. For our own parts we cannot help thinking Mr. Pope has been much too feverely handled already on this fubject, and we could with the author of thefe effays had fpared him a little. But this would have been inconfiftent with those opinions we before took notice of in effay 7th. We fhall here only add, that we cannot help thinking every light we receive from religion must be more agreeable to a rational mind, as it is confiftent with what we might draw from reafon. Now the doctrine of a future state could never be fupported without a revelation, but by admitting the goodness and justice of God. This could only be proved by what we fee in this world. If, therefore, our observations went not to prove that even here the virtuous are more happy in the general fcale than the wicked, what reason should we have to fuppofe the few exceptions we meet with would be rectified in a future world. On the contrary, might we not fairly infer, that either this must be the final state of our existence, or if there were a future one, that it could not be that of a juft retribution. In effay 22, on Chriftianity, we meet with fome well chosen arguments against Mr. J's opinions on the nature of revelation. Effay 22, on the Slave Trade, contains nothing very new, and on the whole favours more of honeft enthusiasm than found argument. In fhort, our author feems to think the fubject (we will not fay how juftly) below reasoning upon, and only admitting of declamation. The laft effay on the national debt is replete with ingenious and well chofen remarks. At At the conclufion our author feems anxious to do justice to a character he had before treated a little too feverely. I cannot, however, avoid remarking, that the learned and excellent man, who firft awakened the attention of the nation to this interesting and important fubject; the man, whofe ideas Mr. Pitt appears chiefly to have adopted and acted upon; the man, who fo ably and clearly explained the nature and powers of the Sinking Fund, and who fo forcibly, and at length fuccefsfully, urged its reeftablishment, has had no mark of public approbation or diftinction conferred upon him, though titles, places and penfions, have been profufely lavished upon perfons refpecting whofe public fervices the public fill remain moft profoundly ignorant. It has, indeed, been difputed, whether patriotifm is really a virtue: if it is not, at least it must be allowed to bear a very ftriking refemblance to it in one refpect, viz. that by a refinement of fentiment, fo honourably characteristic of the prefent age, it seems to be universally confidered as ITS OWN REWARD. We would, however, wifh our author to cultivate the acquaintance of a foul in many refpects fo congenial with his own. He will then find that the character he thinks thus flighted has indeed received the only reward he is capable of wifhing for in this world; the approbation of his own confcience, and all good men, and the fatisfaction of seeing his country profit by his researches. FOREIGN LITERATURE. ART. X. SUMMARY of FOREIGN SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS. Strafbourg. Der Soeugtiere funfter thiel, &c. Fifth Volume of Animals with Dugs. HIS collection is continued with great zeal and fuccefs, and THIS will form one of the most elegant and useful books of natural hiftory published in Germany. The prefent volume furpaffes the former ones; befides the accuracy of the text which accompanies the plates, the defcriptions are given with an unufual precifion, and do great credit to the brilliant talents of Mr. Schrie-. ber the author. Paris. Supplément au Dictionaire des Jardiniers, par M. de which appears by the foreign criticisms, to merit the fame flattering reception in this country which Miller's Dictionary has met with on the continent. Vienna. N. 7. Edlinvon Jacquins, lehrers der Krauterkunde ander hohem Schutezu wien, Anleitung zur Pflanzenkenntnifs nack Linners Methode zum Gebrauth Seiner Theorefifchem Vorlefungen. Introduction to the Knowledge of Plants, after Linneus's Method, by M. de Jacquin, Profeffor of Botany in the High School of Vienna, for the Ufe of those who have attended his Theoretic Lectures. This introduction comprehends the whole of the vegetable kingdom, its importance, the neceffity of studying the culture of plants, and the degree of intelligence it requires. It concludes by explaining the prefent ftate of Botany; its relation with medicine, and criticisms on the prefent fyftems, all of which, according to this author, are unnatural. He has the best opinion of that of Linneus, whofe defects he points out. M. de Jacquin, explains the fex of plants, treats of the nomenclature, and interfperfes throughout his work particular obfervations, which place him very high amongst botanists. Order of the papers which were read at the public affembly of the Paris Royal Society of Medicine on the 1ft of September last. M. Vicq-D'Azir, read a paper containing the diftribution of the prizes obtained, and announced those now offered by the fociety. M. De Fourcroy-a treatise on the medical properties of vital air. M. Vicq-D'Azir, an eulogy on M, de Mertens, foreign affociate of the fociety at Vienna. M. Defperriers-a treatife on the analogy of a particular disease of the jaw, with the hardening of the adipofe membrane to which new-born children are fubject. M. Saillant the confequences of observations made at the General Hospital on different kinds of epilepsy. The affembly was clofed by an eulogy delivered by M.VicqD'Azir, on M. Delaffone, firft phyfician to the King and Queen of France, and founder of the fociety. ART. XI. FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. [From the Abbé Rozier's Journal de Phyfique.] THE Comte de la Cepêde, keeper of the French king's cabinet, in treating of the natural hiftory of fnakes, establishes a very interesting diftinction betwixt the true viviparous animals, and that species of the fnake which brings forth its young alive. He reckons one hundred and seventy-five kinds of fnakes, of which twenty-two have not been described by any naturalist befides himself, and several others have been but lightly touched upon. These animals, he obferves, feem to be placed, in the fcale of beings, after oviparous quadrupeds: they approach nearest to the lizard and biped reptiles. He divides them into two great claffes, the firft of which comprehends those hitherto termed viviparous, by abbreviation vipers, the fecond the oviparous. In bestowing a very particular attention, he finds that thofe of the first clafs differ effentially from the viviparous animals properly fo called, fince all fnakes, as well as oviparous animals, birds, and fifhes, are produced by the egg. But in vipers, the young are hatched, from the egg, in the belly of the mother, and this makes a clear diftinction betwixt them and the true viviparous animals, in which the foetus, not inclosed in a fhell, draws its nourishment immediately from the mother, by veffels which pafs from the one to the other. In oviparous animals, the foetus is nourished by the egg, without drawing any fupport from the mother. This egg either remains in the body of the parent animal, as in vipers, and is hatched there by the internal heat of the animal, or is laid by the mother, and the effect of hatching produced by an external heat. This heat is either that of the fun, as in the production of turtles, &c.-that of the incubation of the mother, as in birds-or that of bodies in fermentation, as in the greater part of fnakes, which depofit their eggs on dunghills, or in heaps of fermenting vegetables. Therefore as the viper, which includes the first class of snakes, differs from all other animals, feeing that it brings forth its young aliye hatched from the egg in the belly of the mother, the Comte de la Cepêde wifhes to diftinguish it both from the oviparous in which the female produces her egg, and the viviparous in which the young are formed by the process of foetation, without being enclosed in a fhell: he, accordingly, beftows on it the title of viparous, as a necefiary diftinction, The copulation of fnakes is very tedious; otherwise the female would frequently be infertile. The male having no feminal veficles for the fecretion of the prolific liquor to be carried to the testicles, could not in a fhort fpace fupply a quantity fufficient for fecundation. 'Tis the fame with turtles and other oviparous animals. The prolonged continuance of this congress of the fexes, in fnakes, is in fome measure caused by the conformation of the double generative inftrument of the male. It is provided provided with small prickles, which at once serve to retain and timulate the female, without doing any injury to the sexual parts, they being almost conftantly cartilaginous. Our author's anatomical defcription of fnakes differs but little from those already given: he obferves, however, that the lungs of thefe animals are very extenfive, fo that, by abforbing a great quantity of air, they do not refpire so often as is ufual with other creatures. In difcriminating betwixt the venomous, and those which are harmless, he praifes in a very flattering manner, the industry, talents, and application of the Abbe Fontana, who, he obferves, has left nothing further to be wifhed on that subject. The fize of fnakes varies prodigioufly, Some are only a few * inches in length, whilft others measure fo much as thirty, forty, and fifty feet. It is faid that there are fome ftill larger. The very large kinds are called Boa; they fwallow antelopes, and even the urus or wild ox. For this purpose they crush the bones by rolling over the animal, or by compreffing it violently against trees or rocks. What is here recited of them is not so surprifing, when we reflect that the cefophagus of thefe creatures is very long, and capable of a very great dilatation, which enables them to swallow animals larger than themselves. Linneus defcribes but fix genera of fnakes; the Comte de la Cepêde carries them to eight. The columbri (adders). The Boa. The Crotali (rattle-fnakes). The Angues. The Amphisbane. The Caecilia. The Langaha. And the Acrochordi. ART. XII. Hiftoire fecrete de la Cour de Berlin, ou Correfpondence d'un Voyageur François depuis le 5 Juillet 1786 jufqu' au 19 Fanvier 1787. Ouvrage posthume. ART. XII. Secret Hiftory of the Court of Berlin; or, Correfpondence of a French Traveller from the 5th July 1786 to the 19th January 1787. A pofthumous Work. 8vo. 2 vols. 1789. [ Concluded. ] AS S we wish only to demonftrate the demerits of the work, and not to make. our Review the vehicle of calumny, we' will give no further extract of this kind, though fimilar ones might be made from almost every page. Suffice it to say, that there is fcarcely a perfon mentioned in the whole two volumes without a liberal portion of unqualified cenfure. Even the praise the author beftows in one part is fure to be poisoned in another by fatire or abufe. Not content with throwing his dirt |